NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is one of the classics as he highlights the Winward Cup – CLICK HERE
-UCLA is in a tailspin and they got absolutely run out of the building by Maryland last night 79-61. Head Coach Mick Cronin, who had been critical of his team earlier in the week, decided to leave early after being ejected with just over 5 minutes to go. I still expect that UCLA will turn itself around, but they’re in a bit of a mess right now. As for Maryland, this was a win they kind of needed.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-LOUISVILLE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Louisville keeps winning despite all the injuries they’ve had, but today will be a tough test. They’re on the road against a very good Pitt team. Pitt was also just blasted by Duke and is looking to bounce back. As good as Louisville has been, this would probably be their biggest win of the year so far if they’re able to pull it off.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). This is a big test for two teams that look like they’re good enough to make the NCAA Tournament and have very respectable profiles, but still have a lot of work to do and could really use this win today.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). This is a big road test for Iowa State, but Iowa State has been passing big tests all year long. Right now they look like a team that could get a 1 seed and win the Big 12. As for Texas Tech, this would be one of their biggest wins of the year so far even though they’re at home.
-CONNECTICUT AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Georgetown lost a tough one at Marquette earlier in the week, but it was hardly a bad loss and if anything it should instill some confidence in them. This is another big opportunity for them at home and the atmosphere around this one should be one of their bigger home games in a while. As for UConn, they’re coming off a tough road loss to Villanova and will be looking to bounce back. Their overall resume is still very solid and they still have a path to a protected seed.
-KANSAS AT CINCINNATI (Big 12). Cincinnati is in a tailspin and they need a win, any win, to pull themselves out of it. That’s far easier said than done, though. Kansas is high in the rankings and clearly the superior team. Having said that, Kansas is just 1-2 in true road games, so a win would help fill out their resume a little bit.
-FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC). Florida State is a respectable 11-4, but their overall resume needs a lot of work. Having said that, a road win in a game like this would mean doing a lot of work. As for Clemson, they’re coming off a loss at Louisville and this would be a nice bounce back game for them.
-VANDERBILT AT MISSOURI (SEC). The SEC is an absolute gauntlet, and as good as these two teams are they may have trouble racking up enough wins in conference play to ensure themselves a spot in the dance. That’s what makes this game so important.
-FLORIDA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). A tough road test for the Gators who are coming off a huge win against Tennessee. Arkansas has lost two straight and should have a sense of urgency coming into this one. They’ve been very strong at home this year and they need to get it done today.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT NC STATE (ACC). This is a huge rivalry game, and it’s a game that North Carolina could really stand to win. Given their shaky OOC record some people have sort of given up on the Tarheels, but the OOC schedule was really strong and I think they’ll be just fine and will start stringing together wins in conference play.
-TENNESSEE AT TEXAS (SEC). After putting together some of the most impressive and dominating showings of any team this season, Tennessee could not get their motor started at all against Florida earlier in the week and was blown off the floor. Winning at Texas may not be as tough as winning at Florida, but it is still a very tall order. Having said that, it’s the kind of game that a #1 or #2 seeded team should be able to win.
-OKLAHOMA AT GEORGIA (SEC). The Sooners have suddenly lost two straight and are 0-2 in SEC play. The complexion of their season has changed since their 13-0 start and you get the sense that this is a pivotal game for them. It certainly won’t be an easy game. Georgia is a damn good team that is 13-2 overall and just knocked off Kentucky earlier this week.
-LSU AT OLE MISS (SEC). LSU has lost two straight and has just one true road win on the season. This is another game that has a pivotal feel for it. A win for LSU would be huge and get them turned around in the right direction, a loss suddenly puts them at 0-3 in league play. It won’t be easy. Ole Miss is a perfect 8-0 at home and coming off a nice win at Arkansas.
-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Villanova is really starting to come to life, and they just picked up a huge win against UConn. If they can follow that up with a road win against a Saint John’s team that’s also been playing really well, then we’ll have to start thinking of them as a likely tournament caliber team.
-ALABAMA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both teams are ranked in the top ten and both are on a trajectory to end up as protected seeds. This would be one of the bigger wins of the year for Bama if they’re somehow able to pull it off.
-INDIANA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Indiana has been on fire lately. As much as I beat them up earlier in the year, I now think they’re a legit top 25 caliber team. This is a tough road game, but it’s one they can win given how they’ve been playing. It’s a big game for Iowa as well, who’s trying to position themselves safely inside the bubble.
-KENTUCKY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Both teams are high in the rankings and this is yet another high level showecase for the SEC. It’s one of two SEC games today that features two top 15 teams. Kentucky is looking to bounce back from their loss at Georgia. As good as they are, they’ve struggled in true road games. Things don’t get any easier against Mississippi State tonight, who should be jacked way up for this one. They are an incredible 14-1 this season and perfect in the SEC.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT GONZAGA (West Coast). I was really big on Wazzu, so of course they somehow dropped one at home to Pacific earlier this week. They may have been looking ahead to this one. It’s a fun regional rivalry, and for the first time it’s actually a conference game! Gonzaga is still good enough to play their way into a strong protected seed and do a lot of damage in March, but they need to hold serve in games like this.
-BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West ). These are two of the better teams in the Mountain West. The storyline for Boise State is that they’re on the bubble and they could use a big win in a game like this to give their resume a huge upgrade. The story for Utah State is that they’re really good, they’re in the rankings, and they can continue to climb the polls if they can keep stringing together wins in the conference.
-BAYLOR AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). Both teams are good, but both could really use this win. Both come in at 10-4 and while they’ve looked good and have some decent wins, neither is really on cruise control.
-UCF AT ARIZONA (Big 12). Arizona is starting to come together after playing a brutal OOC schedule and dropping a few games against it. They should be able to hold serve against a decent, but not great, UCF team. UCF can give their resume a huge boost if they could somehow pull this one out on the road.
-UC IRVINE AT UC SAN DIEGO (Big West). I’m probably more excited for this game than any other today!! Both teams are good, and I think both can land inside the bubble and make the Big West a two-bid league. It goes without saying that this would be a huge win on either team’s resume, so it should be a fun one to watch.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
–Notre Dame @ Duke (ACC). Duke is one of the teams that’s contending for a 1 seed and should be able to hold serve at home
-USC @ Illinois (Big Ten) – Illinois is on fire right now and should be able to hold serve against a USC team that’s nowhere near the bubble
–La Salle @ Saint Bonaventure (Atlantic 10) – Saint Bonaventure needs to bounce back from a loss. A win still gets them to an impressive 15-2
–Creighton @ Butler (Big East) – Creighton is about to start a stretch of games that should be winnable. They need to hold serve in all these games. today is a road game, but it’s one they should win
–Auburn @ South Carolina (SEC) – Auburn is on fire and they’ll likely be ranked #1 in the new poll if they can take care of business in this one
–East Carolina @ Memphis (American) – Memphis has had a great year and they should be able to cruise through this one today
–BYU @ TCU (Big 12). BYU is on the outside looking in and could use a notable road win to take a step in the right direction
–Cornell @ Columbia (Ivy League) – this game should be a ton of fun. It’s the conference opener after Columbia’s very impressive 12-2 run in OOC games
–Princeton @ Harvard (Ivy League) – Princeton may have a shot to land inside the bubble, but they probably have to run the table to do it
–Bradley @ UIC (Missouri Valley) – Bradley is looking to bounce back from the loss to Drake and get to 14-3 on the year
–Georgia Tech @ SMU (ACC) – SMU has a lot of work to do, but they do have a path if they can perform well in the ACC
–Wake Forest @ Miami FL (ACC) – Wake hasn’t been getting a lot of attention, but they are 11-4 overall, 3-1 in conference play, and have a winnable road game today which will keep them well positioned if they take care of business
–Houston @ Kansas State (Big 12) – Houston is starting to string together wins and should be able to pick this one up on the road. They’re still one of the best teams in the Big 12
–Rhode Island @ Richmond (Atlantic 10) – Rhody doesn’t have the best profile, but a win does get them to 13-3 overall and evens their record in the A10 at 2-2
–Evansville @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – Evansville has been playing well lately, but this is still one that Drake should win at home
–San Francisco @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – a bay area rivalry. San Francisco is 14-4 and while they have a lot of work to do to reach the bubble, they do have a path. This would be a nice road win for them if they can pull it off
–Liberty @ Louisiana Tech (Conference USA) – these were the two preseason favorites, and even though LA Tech has stumbled early, Liberty is also coming off a loss. This should be a good one
-New Mexico State @ UTEP – UTEP is 12-3 and can improve upon that if they can get a win over their rivals tonight
–Saint Mary’s @ San Diego (West Coast) – This should be a winnable road game for SMC, which would be their 3rd of the year